


I'll cross oceans

by bettydice (BettyKnight)



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Here Lies the Abyss Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-17 10:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3525050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyKnight/pseuds/bettydice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>post - Here Lies The Abyss, a different take on it</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll cross oceans

What happens to things that die in the Fade?

Hawke had slain the monster, but could she be sure it would not rise again? Corypheus did...

She could not tell how long it had been since she had screamed death and rammed her daggers deep into its heart. She had emerged covered in dark blood that had disappeared as soon as the creature had stopped twitching.

Only another nightmare after all.

She had wandered the Fade for hours, maybe days. Whenever she turned around, the world made of nothing but mist and thoughts had changed, leaving her lost and alone. The faint whispers of wandering spirits haunted her and she wondered if that's what she would turn into. Not dead, but forever doomed to waste away in this realm.

A voice.

_Do you want to go back?_

_I want to help you._

_It will take a very long time and I can't predict what you will find._

_Don't open it until you're done._

She thought of Kirkwall. The City of Chains. It called to her again and she was ready to go back. For the last time.

Her fingers grasped the amulet that laid heavy around her neck. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

_Take me home._

Blazing light surrounded her, setting her skin aflame. She was a star.  
Then she fell and the wind yanked at her hair, dug its icy claws into her skin and tore her up.  
She was buried in the endless desert, the sand an unyielding blanket.  
She sank deeper and deeper until the everlasting fires of the world consumed her.  
She was reborn at the bottom of the ocean, caught in the current that brought her to the shore.

The city grew around her while she was rooted in place. She felt the magic crackling in every stone, the blood tainting the ground, the laughter filling the streets, the tears flowing into the sea.

She was back.

Hawke made her way to her home. She was in a daze, taking in her surroundings and marvelled at everything that had changed. The years were clinging to her legs, making her step heavy.

 

The overgrown door opened under her hand, letting her into her mansion that seemed long abandoned. The sounds of the bustling city were smothered by spiderwebs and dust.

In her mind, the fireplace came to life once more. She imagined Orana playing the lute in the background, only disturbed by Sandal's laughter as he chased the dog around. Her mother smiling gently and humming along. The smell of Bodahn's favourite stew coming from the kitchen.

When she turned to the dining room, the faces of her friends looked back at her, full of warmth, their laughter filling her ears. She could see Bethany and Carver at the head of the table, quarrelling about who deserved the last potato. And there, in the corner of the room, a familiar figure. Broad shoulders that were willing to stand between her and all the dangers of the world... her father, opening a bottle of wine and secretly taking a sip, winking at her when he noticed her stare.

_I've missed you._

There was only one person absent.

She let the warmth and sounds surround her for a while, before she slowly went up the stairs, towards her room.

He was lying on his side of the bed, his white hair and his markings slightly glowing in the darkness. She laid down next to him, her head on his chest, listening for his heartbeat. Tentatively, he put his arms around her, then held her close, as tight as his waning strength would allow him.

"I'm sorry it took me so long."

She sat up and studied his face. While her skin still was mostly free of wrinkles, the years had left their marks on his. She smoothed the creases around his eyes, traced the deep line between his brows. Familiar, and yet... His eyes searched hers, unfocused and almost blind. She kissed his tears, his forehead, his lips.

"You're here now."

He took his final breath with her hand in his, their foreheads touching. At least in this, he didn't have to be alone.

She opened the locket, she had nothing left to fear.

One by one the years came forth, crawling over her and sinking deep into her body. Her skin mirrored his lines, her hair took on his colour. Her bones weighed heavy, a dull ache settling in. Her eyes grew tired and she closed them as a smile spread across her lips.

She'd travelled wide and far, a weary warrior finally at rest.

Eventually, time would tear down the mansion and all its ghosts. The name Hawke just a distant memory, nobody would know of the sadness she'd carried, the pain she'd endured, the love she'd felt.

There'd be nothing left but specks of dust.

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by the legend of Urashima Tarō


End file.
